Lever mechanism



May 29, 1951 G, E, DATH 2,554,563

' LEVER MECHANISM Filed July 25, 1949 s sheets-sheet 2 G. E. DATH LEVER MECHANISM May 29, 1951 s'sheets-sneet s Filed July 25, 1949 Patented May 29, 1951 LEVER MECHANISM George E. Dath, Mokena, Ill., assigner to W. H.

Miner, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delalare Application July 25, 1949, Serial N0. 106,517

(Cl. i4-101) 3 Claims.

ter specied, enclosed within a housing, means including a lever for actuating the clutch mechanism to release the clutch means from operative driving engagement with the worm gear mechanism and further eiective to reengage the clutch means through movement of the lever under the influence of gravity. l

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a lever mechanism especially adapted for actuating shiftable clutch means, rotatable with the worm gear actuated means of a hand brake mechanism for operatively connecting the winding means to the actuating mechanism, comprising a swinging lever element having an eccentric connection with the shiftable clutch means, an operating handle lever arm pivotally connected to an upstanding arm on said swinging element, and a pivoted finger swingable on the axis of pivotal connection between said element and lever arm, wherein the lever arm, when swung in one direction, has shouldered engagement with the finger to swing the same into engagement with the clutch means and shift the latter into operative driving engagement with the winding means, and when swung ina reverse direction has shouldered engagement with the nger to swing the same in a reverse direction into camming engagement with a fixed support to forcibly swing the lever element in a direction to disengage the clutch means from operative clutching engagement with the winding means.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a side elevational view of a geared hand brake mechanism embodying my improvements, said view illustrating the same mounted on the end Wall of a railway car. Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View, corresponding substantially to the line 2-2 of Figure l. Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, partly broken away, illustrating the parts in different positions. Figure 4 is a broken view of the mechanism shown at the upper left hand side of Figure 2, illustrating the actuating lever means in elevation, but in a diierent position from that shown in either Figure2 or Figure 3, and indicating in dotted lines still another position of the actuating lever means.

In said drawings, IB indicates the vertical end wall of a railway car 0n which is kmounted the hand operated worm gear actuated brake mechanism I. The brake mechanism illustrated' is similar to that disclosed in Patent No. 1,974,581, granted to Roland J. Olander, September 25, 1934, and operates in a like manner. The brake mechanism II includes a chain winding drum I2, a worm I3, a worm wheel I4, a sliding clutch element I5, and means for shifting the clutch element. The parts of the mechanism are all enclosed in a housing I5 and the worm I3 is manually rotated by a hand wheel I'I, exterior to the housing. The worm i3 meshes with the worm wheel I4 and imparts rotary movement to the latter. The clutch element I5 serves to cperatively connect the winding drum I2 to the worm wheel M, and rotary movement of the drum is thus effected when the hand wheel is rotated in brake tightening direction. The clutch element I5 is held operatively engaged with the clutch means of the drum I2 by a spring I8 contained within the hollow portion of said drum. The clutch means on the drum comprises an annular series of interior projections or teeth I9, which cooperate with similar projections or teeth 2Q on the clutch element I5. The clutch element I5 is splined to the worm wheel Id. to rotate in unison therewith. The brake chain, which leads to the brake mechanism proper of the car, is indicated by 2l, and is fixed to the drum to be wound on the latter in the usual manner. The clutch element I5, which is slidingly mounted in the hub of the worm wheel I4, extends outwardly of said worm Wheel and the housing, as shown most clearly in Figures 2 and 3, and said extension is provided with a spoollike section 22 at the outer end thereof, having an annular groove 23 to cooperate with the means for shifting the clutch element. The spool section has a reduced, cylindrical projection 24 at its inner end, seated in an axial opening 25 in the element I5. The spool section 22 is secured to the clutch elementrby a bolt 26 extending axially through said section and element.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a clutch shifting means comprising broadly a pair of laterally spaced, pivoted link members B--B, an

actuating lever arm C, a pivot pin D connecting the members B-B and the lever arm C, and a finger E swingingly supported on the pivot pin D.

The link members B-B of the clutch shifting means are swingingly mounted on the housing by laterally outstanding projecting trunnions 21-21 on the outer sides of said link members, rotatably supported in transversely aligned bearing openings or seats 28-28 provided in laterally spaced, outwardly projecting lugs 29-29 on the housing IB at opposite sides of the spool section 22 of the sliding clutch element I5. The members B-B form arms of a fork extending from the lever arm C. Each member B is in the form of a fiat plate tapering toward its upper end. The trunnions 21-21 are formed, respectively, on the members B-B at the lower ends thereof, each trunnion projecting outwardly from the corresponding member "Band being located at the right hand portion of the lower end thereof, as seen in Figure 2. Each member B is further provided with an inwardly projecting trunnion 30 at the lower end thereof and located at the left hand portion of -said lower en d, as .seen inFigure 2. The trunnions SII-LBS of the two members B-B are in transverse alignment and are engaged within' the groove 23 of the spool '22 of the clutch element I5. The upper ends of the members B-B yare provided with transversely aligned, pivot pin receiving openings 3 I-3 I.

The lever arm C is shaped as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The bottom end of the lever arm C is fiared laterally, as illustrated in Figure 1, said flared portion forming a head 32. head 32 is provided with depending, laterally spaced lugs SYS-33, which are inset from the side edges of the head, as shown in Figure i, thereby providing laterally opening seats k34 at opposite sides of the head into which the upper ends of the members B-B extend. The laterally spaced lugs 33-'33 further provide a recess 35 therebetween, into which the upper end of the finger E extends. In other words, the finger E is disposed between the lugs 33-33 and the members B-B embrace these lugs at opposite sides. The lugs 33--33 and the nger E have pivot pin receiving openings 36 and 3l. The platelike members B-B and the finger E are pivotally connected to the handle lever C by the pin D, which i extends through the openings 36-36 of the lugs 33-33, the openings (il-3| of the plate members B-B, and the opening 3l of the finger E.

The finger E has a pointed tooth-shaped outer end, as indicated at 38. The back of the finger E, at -said `tooth-shaped end, is preferably rounded off, as indicated at 39, to provide camming action, as hereinafter described. At the pivoted end thereof, the finger E is provided with a substantially radial stop lug @Il engageable by astop face `4I on the left hand side of the lower end portion of the lever arm C, as seen in Figure 2, to cause the finger to swing with the arm C when the latter is pulled toward the left, as viewed in Figure 2. At the side thereof opposite to the stop face 4I, the lower end of the lever arm C is provided with a projecting lug 42, adapted to engage the rear side of the finger E to swing the latter downwardly, as seen in Figure 4, when the lever arm C is pulled toward the right.

vIn Figure 2 of the drawings, the clutch element I is shown in driving engagement with the drum I2, and rotation imparted to the worm I3, by turning of the hand wheel in direction to The apply the brakes, is transmitted to the drum through the worm wheel I4 to effect winding of the chain 2l on the drum. At this time the operating handle lever C is in the extreme right hand position shown in Figure 2, that is, in position overhanging the portion 43 of the housing which contains the worm I3, with the stop lug IB of the finger E engaged by the stop 4I of said lever arm and the finger resting flat against the vertical wall member 44 of the portion 43 of the housing, and the toothed end of said ringer engaged in back of the spool section 22 of the clutch element I5.

The operation of my improved clutch shifting means is as follows: To release or disengage the drum from operative relation with the worm wheel, the operating lever C is swung to the left, as viewed in Figure 2, and through shouldered engagement with the finger E rotates the latter in contra-clockwise direction on the pivot pin D, as viewed in Figure 2, swinging the iin-Y gel` against the wall 44 of the housing I6, thereby camming the upper ends of the link members B-B to the left, as shown in Figure v3, ,and forcing the clutch element I5 toward the right, disengaging the tooth thereof from the teeth of the drum I2 to permit free rotation of the drum to release the brakes. To effect reengagement of the clutch element I5 with the drum I2, the lever arm C is swung to the right fromthe position shown in Figure 3 to the full line position shown in Figure 4 with the lug 42 of said lever supported on the finger E. In this position, the lever arm C has been swung beyond the vertical, and thus its weight exerts pressure on the finger E to rotatethe same in clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 4, to engage the vspool section of the clutch element I5, and together withthe spring I8, move the clutch element to the en gaged position shown in Figure 1. In the event that rotation of the drum in release of the brakes has been stopped, with the spaces between the teeth of the drum not registered with the teeth cf the clutch element, a slight turn of the hand wheel, in initiating the operation of tightening the brakes, will rotate the clutch element to the proper extent to permit the Vteeth of the same to engage between the teeth of the drum, whereby the clutch element is free to be projected to the left by the spring I8 and by the action of the lever arm C, the weight of which rotates the finger E in clockwise direction from the full line position shown in Figure 4, through the dotted line position shown in said figure, to the position shown in Figure 2.

.I claim:

1. In a shifting means for a sliding element the combination with a pivoted member .having an eccentric connection with said element;. of lever pivotally connected to said member; and a finger rotatable about the pivotal connection between said lever and member, said fingerihaving camming engagement with a fixed support, said lever and finger having shouldered engage ment with each other to effect movement of said finger and lever in unison in one direction, and shouldered engagement with each otherto effect movement of said finger and lever inunison in a reverse direction.

2. In a shifting means for arsliding element having a spool portion, the combination withfa link member pivoted at one end on a fixed s upport, said link member having a trunnion thereon eccentric to the pivot of said member engageable with said spool portion of saidelementto move said element in one direction; of a pivot pin extending through the other end of said link member; a nger pivoted on said pin and having camming engagement with a xed cam surface portion; a lever pivoted on said pin, said lever having a lug at the pivoted end thereof engageable with said finger when said lever is swung in one direction for swinging the finger in one direction to engage the same with said spool portion and move the latter in a reverse direction; and cooperating shoulders on said lever and link member engageable with each other when said lever is swung in a reverse direction, for swinging said finger against said cam surface to actuate the link member and move said element in said first named direction.

3. In a shifting means for a spring pressed sliding element said element having a spool portion thereon, the combination with a shifting lever comprising a, handle lever section and a supporting section; of a pivot swingingly connecting the inner end of said handle lever section to the outer end of said supporting section, said supporting section being swingingly supported on a fixed support and having an eccentric trunnion engaged with said spool section; a cam finger swingingly supported on said pivot;

a. xed cam surface with which said cam finger cooperates; a shoulder on said handle lever engageable with said nger when said lever is swung in one direction to swing said finger into engagement with and actuate said spool portion to move said element in one direction against the resistance of said spring; and a lug on said handle lever engageable with said iinger when the lever is swung in a reverse direction to swing said nger toward and along said cam surface to swing said supporting section of the lever in a, reverse direction to move said element in reverse direction.

GEORGE E. DATH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 951,845 Rundle et a1 Mar. 15, 1910 1,882,839 Haseltine Oct. 18, 1932 2,281,143 Dickerson Apr. 28, 1942 2,293,504 Higgins Aug. 18, 1942 2,439,941 Lounsbury Apr. 20, 1948 

